Shangri LA
by limitlesswriting
Summary: After Tommy leaves, Jude's life spirals out of control. She flees to LA, leaving a trail of death and destruction in her wake. Even though she tries to stay out of the spotlight, she can't escape it, and eventually, she's brought back to the man that left
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own any songs used, nor do I own Instant Star. Don't sue me, I'm poor. _

**Shangri-LA**

Staring out the window, I watched a towering skyline and crowded roads come into view below me.

"Well folks, we'll be landing in a few minutes, so please secure all baggage in the overhead bins, or underneath the seat in front of you. Please place your tray tables in their upright, locked positions. Buckle your seatbelt, and bring your seat to its full, upright position."

I grabbed a stick of gum out of my purse before tossing my bag to my feet. Grabbing the armrests, I braced my self for the landing.

A year ago, who'd have thought I'd be on a plane two months after my 18th birthday, leaving Toronto behind for good?I sure as hell didn't.

I figured I'd be at G Major, for the blow out of the year as my third album was released. Instead of the sweats I'm wearing right now, I'd be in some gorgeous designer dress Portia picked out.

There'd be sushi and delicious hors d'oeuvres to snack on, not stale peanuts.

Bubbling champagne would have replaced the flat Coke in the glass I held.

Most importantly, I wouldn't have been alone.

But four months after my 17th birthday, everything changed, and my life came crashing down around me.

The wheels bumped against the ground, and the plane shook as it came to a crawl. Staring out across the hot blacktop as we taxied towards the terminal, I looked at the palm trees and smog.

"For your safety, please keep your seatbelts fastened until the light goes off. You may now turn on cell phones and wireless devices. We know you have a choice when flying and we thank you for choosing Delta. It's 1:35 p.m. local time, and a warm and sunny 60 degrees. For those of you reaching your final destination, welcome home. To everyone else, welcome to L.A."As we pulled up to the gate and seatbelts began snapping off around me, I sighed.

Say hello to your new life, Jude, there's no going back now, I thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Eight months earlier…._**

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE-_

Slamming my hand down on the little black box of doom sitting on my nightstand, I groped for the snooze button, craving a few more moments of sleep. Finally successful, I rolled over, and closed my eyes.

The past few days had been a roller coaster of emotions. I'd reached the top of a hill when Tommy asked me out for dinner, only to come crashing downward when he took off without any explanation why. I'd bottomed out that night at Mason's concert. I still have no idea what happened after leaving the bar that night, only faint memories of flashing lights, but no idea what they were.

I'd started the climb back up, when Darius forgave me for skipping out on my release party, and now I was enjoying the view from the top of the charts. I never thought I'd hit number one—not on my second album after the way the first was received. Aside from my missing producer, things couldn't get any better than they were.

_BEEP BEEP BEE-_

Groaning, I opened my eyes, and rolled out of bed, shuffling towards the bathroom door, and turning on the water before shedding the grey boxer briefs and old baseball tee I'd slept in.

Stepping under the steaming spray, I closed my eyes, basking in the feeling of the warm water pounding onto my back, washing the sleep out of my body. Reaching for my shampoo, I began to hum as I worked my fingers through my hair. 

I hadn't written anything for my next album, and I wanted to start getting some ideas ready for whenever I started working on it. God knows when that would be, Tommy still hadn't even tried to contact me since our disaster of a date.

Rinsing the soap from my hair, I stepped out from under the water and turned the shower off. Grabbing a towel from on top of the toilet, I wrapped it around my body, folding it over before starting to do my make up.

I knew I was running late, so I only threw on some mascara, blush, and lip gloss before toweling my hair dry, running styling milk through it to help hold curl.

I flew through my room, grabbing a worn pair of jeans, some sneakers, and a hooded t-shirt, throwing them on my body as I headed out of my room, down the stairs, and out the door to my car.

Glancing at the clock in the dash, I floored it down the street.

Shit, I was going to be late. And Darius had called that damn meeting this morning, to announce to the studio that I'd hit number one.

Oh well, I guess now that I'm a rock star, I can afford to be fashionably late?

Somehow doubting Darius would see it that way, I speed down the street weaving in and out of traffic going almost 50, nearly taking out a few cars that were going to slow for my taste.

I threw my car into park when I reached the parking lot of G Major, grabbed my purse and ran. Reaching the doors, I flung them open and threw myself inside.


	3. Chapter 3

"SURPRISE!!!!"

I almost fell face first into the floor as I stumbled into the lobby full of cheers and smiles.

"What happened to the meeting D?" I said, laughing as I looked around the confetti-filled room.

There was a huge banner over Sadie's desk, loudly proclaiming "Congrats Jude!", and a few tables of Starbucks and different breakfast foods were set up around the lobby. To top it all off, there was a cake with the cover of my album screened onto it in the middle of the room.

"Well, it's not every day you hit number 1, Harrison," Darius said, grinning widely, "I figured we should deviate from the normal boring meeting."

"Great idea," I said, smiling at him and giving him a hug, "Thanks so much."

"Just keep up the good work, and there's no need to thank me," He said, "Now go enjoy your party."

I wandered around, getting hugs from everyone—Jamie, Mason, Kwest, Sadie—even Liam and Patsy gave me a half hug. As I talked with everyone, drinking coffee and munching on éclairs, I began to feel like something was missing.

Looking around the room, I knew what it was. Everyone was there, except for the person who mattered most to me. The person who had gotten me to number one. The one person who should have been here before anyone else in the room.

What happened to Tommy?

Was he going to call? Would I ever see him again? Was he going to be back?

"Hey everyone, let's wrap it up here, and get back to work!"

I quickly snapped out of my reverie as Darius made his announcement.

"Still in shock over it all?" he said, laughing at my confused expression, "I mean that dazed look on your face—still not taking it all in?"

"Um, yeah," I said quickly, forcing thoughts of Tommy from my head, "I'm just so amazed by all of this."

"Well, you better start writing some new stuff. As soon as your one month break is over, we need you back recording in the studio."

"About that, Darius," I said uncertainly, my thoughts slipping back, "Who's going to produce me? I mean, now that Tommy's gone."

"Quincy will be back. Don't worry about it," He said certainly, "and if he isn't, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Satisfied with his answer, I nodded.

"Now, I don't want to see you anywhere near this studio for the next month, you got me?" Darius said, pushing me gently towards the door.

"If I have to," I said, smiling at my newfound freedom.

No school or recording for a month. It would be the first time in a long while I'd gotten a break.

Walking through the doors and out into the parking lot, I hopped in my car, turning out of the parking lot toward home.

As I drove along, my thoughts began to wander back to my missing producer.

Where are you Tommy, I wondered to myself, and when are you coming back?


	4. Chapter 4

The month passed by quickly, and while I was sad that the break was over, I was happy to be getting back into the studio.

I still hadn't managed to write any decent songs, but maybe if I got back to work with someone else, the words and chords would come to me.

After getting ready I hurried out the door, and made it to the studio fifteen minutes later. As soon as I walked through the door, I knew something was wrong. No one would look at me, they just hurried about their business, barely glancing up to say hi.

As I walked towards the desk, Sadie looked at me sadly.

"Hey..what's going on, Sades? Why is everyone acting so strange?" I asked, still looking around the lobby.

"Jude," she began softly, "you need to go into Darius's office. It's important."

"Is there something wrong?" I asked, confused.

Sighing, she looked back at the iBook in front of her, "Let's just say it's not a good meeting. You should get in there."

Nodding, I turned toward his office, wondering what it could be. Did it have to do with Tommy? I still hadn't heard from him.

After two weeks of countless calls and voicemails not being returned, I finally let things be. I figured he'd be back soon, and I should just give him time.

Walking into the room, I was greeted by a very angry looking Darius, holding a large envelope.

"So, care to think again about whether or not anything else happened when you skipped out on your release party?" he said, almost shouting, "Anything?"

Cringing, I couldn't say anything. I looked down towards my feet, and shook my head no.

"Huh. You sure you didn't have a little bit of fun? That things didn't get a little out of hand?" He accused, drawing some papers out of the envelope, "Because these pictures of you would certainly say otherwise Jude."

Taking the pictures from his hand, I flipped through the grotesque images.

Me in a hotel room.

Me on a bed.

Me taking my shirt off.

"Oh god," I gasped, "I'm sorry Darius, I didn't know about these."

"How the hell are you going to try and tell me that? I'm supposed to believe that?" He shouted.

"I had a little bit to drink. There was a nice guy there. I don't really remember much. I sang 'There's Us' and then…I just remember waking up to Mason and Jamie," I weakly tried to explain.

"This little stunt is going to cost me big Jude. Fifty thousand dollars big," Darius began, starting to sound calmer, "But I'm going to give you the chance to make it up. You better clean up your act, and get me a hit record. Or else I'm releasing you from your contract-for real this time. Now get out of my office."

Turning, I almost sprinted out of the gaudy room, heading quickly towards Studio C. Collapsing against the door, I sobbed uncontrollably. How could things have gotten so out of hand?


	5. Chapter 5

Five months had gone by, and nothing had happened.

Tommy was still gone, I still had no songs for my album—nothing was the way it should have been.

Kwest was producing me, and we were struggling along, recording what we could. Darius brought in songwriters, but they never gave me something I wanted to work with.

Rolling out of bed, I heard the sound of raindrops pounding on the window.

The perfect weather to fit my sullen mood.

I went about my morning routine, getting ready to go into the studio, and grabbed a strawberry pop-tart on my way out the door.

I flung it open ready to make a mad dash to my car, to avoid getting soaked, but was blinded by flashbulbs when I opened the door.

"Jude, Jude! What do you have to say about this?"

"Jude, why did you do it?"

"Who's the guy Jude? Are you dating him?"

Confused, I ran towards my car, slamming it into reverse and peeling out of the driveway before speeding toward G-Major, only to be followed by the paparazzi. Needing to know what was happening, I pulled out my cell, speeding along the slick roads towards the studios, and dialed Sadie's number.

"G-major Studios, This is Sadie, how can I help you?"

"Sades—What's going on? I'm on my way into work, and there were all these people at the door this morning, and they're taking pictures and following me and yelling at me and I don't know what they're talking about," I spit out frantically, pleading for an explanation.

"Jude, just get to the studio as fast as you can, but don't get hurt. Don't worry about it," Sadie said, trying to sound convincing.

I wasn't buying it, but I hung the phone up and concentrated on the last five minutes of the drive from hell. Throwing my car into park, I sprinted for the doors, attempting to cover my face as I ran, blinded by the bright flashes of light chasing me.

Soaking wet, I slammed through the double doors, Sadie was standing on the other side, waiting for me.

"What the hell is going on," I screamed at her, "They keep asking me about some guy!"

A pained look crept into Sadie's eyes.

"The pictures Jude," She began, but I cut her off before she could continue.

"What about the pictures Sadie?" I hissed, "Darius took care of it, they don't exist anymore. Now what's going on?"

Reaching behind her, she grabbed a newspaper off of her desk, depositing it in my hands. I stared down horrified at the cover—a picture of me, tossing my shirt to the side and laughing drunkenly at the camera.

"But…but…how?" I questioned, feeling incredibly nauseous.

"I'm sorry Jude," Sadie began, steering me away from the crowd that had grown in the lobby, "the pictures leaked. Darius is doing everything he can to figure out how they got out."

Numbly, I nodded, finally meeting Sadie's eyes.

"I need to be alone. I need to write. I'm going to go to Tommy's office," I said woodenly, moving haltingly off down the hall to what had become my sanctuary the past few months.

"Jude," Sadie began, hesitation creeping into her voice, "You can't go in there."

"What do you mean," I said hollowly, stopping short, not even bothering to turn and face her.

I heard her soft footsteps approaching and felt her and rest comfortingly upon my shoulder. I didn't want to know what she had to say.

"Darius is having Tommy's office cleaned out right now. He got the call. He's not coming back anytime soon."

I swiftly turned around to gape at her, tears springing to my eyes, searching my sister's, looking for something telling me that this was all a huge practical joke.

"No," I stammered, not wanting to believe her, "That can't be right, he's coming back."

But Sadie's face, full of pity and sadness told me everything I needed to know. Tommy wasn't coming back.

Nodding, I turned and sprinted towards the exit to the alley, wanting to be alone, forgetting about the rain. Slamming the door behind me, I crouched under the overhang, finally letting myself break down, wrapping my arms around my stomach.

My life was supposed to be a fairytale after I won the competition. Instead, it had slowly turned into a nightmare.

I just wished I could go back. That I could have Tommy back. That none of this had happened.

Pulling my notebook from my backpack, I flipped it open to the first blank page, and began to write.

Furiously scribbling, the words poured onto the page, joined by watermarks from tears and raindrops falling and smearing the ink.

I wish there was a photograph that showed me here with you  
And I could kiss the photograph and make my wish come true  
I wish I was a humming dove so I could sing so sweet  
I wish that I could steal the moon and kiss it with my feet

I wish I was a remedy that you wanted to take  
The product of a recipe that no one had to bake  
I wish I could forget that day the hurting in my heart  
And wash our mouths with Listerine to make a brand new start

Watching the rain fall down  
Watching the rain  
Watching the rain  
Watching the rain fall down  
Watching the rain  
Watching the rain fall down

I wish there was a fairytale that turned into my life  
So I could kiss Prince Charming man and be his princess wife  
I wish the voices in my head would leave my ears alone  
So my eyes would stop their water-bleeding and I could find a home

I wish there was a ruby rose where I spread my wings and flew  
So I could inhale the perfume and be the morning dew  
I wish the raindrops on the glass would let me join their dance  
I'd spin and twirl and laugh with them and drown my thoughts perchance

Watching the rain fall down  
Watching the rain  
Watching the rain  
Watching the rain fall down  
Watching the rain  
Watching the rain fall

Whoa whoa  
I kind of like it  
Whoa whoa

Whoa whoa  
I kind of like it this way

Watching the rain  
Watching the rain

Watching the rain fall down  
Watching the rain  
Watchign the rain  
Watchign the rain fall down  
Watcching the rain  
Watching the rain

I read over the lyrics, humming a tune in my head. It felt good to get all of my emotions out, but I still felt empty inside. Taking a few minutes to collect myself, I stared out into the slowing rain.

You have to let him go, I thought to myself, you have to move on. He already has.

With that, I stood, and turned to go inside. Wandering in out of the rain, I dried my hands on my jeans, and headed toward Studio B, wordlessly handing Kwest the journal before walking into the booth.

I watched his shocked expression on the other side of the glass as he read over my words.

"You want to record this Jude," he asked, continuing as I nodded, "This is good. It's the best thing you've come up with in a long time."

"Let's just get this over with so I can go home Kwest," I said softly.

Nodding, he flipped the buttons on the soundboard, leaning into the mic.

"Jude Harrison, Watching the Rain, take 1."

With that, I closed my eyes and began to sing, losing myself in the words and letting the world around me drift away.


	6. Chapter 6

As the months passed, it became increasingly obvious Tommy wasn't coming back.

I became quite friendly with my mother's liquor cabinet. She was off in god knows where with Don, and Sadie was busy at G-major.

I wandered around G-major like a ghost, more often than not stealing sips of vodka from a water bottle that was permanently attached to my hand. I spent my days writing, putting the pain and anguish I felt into words, letting the feeling of rejection spring to life on paper.

But Darius nixed every song that I presented to him, saying the same thing over and over—that the public wanted happiness, they wanted something carefree. He was pretty sick of me, and my lack of work. I waited for the day that he would drop me from the label, but he never did. I guess he hoped I would write my way out of my funk, and come back better than ever.

Eight months after leaving, Tommy was still gone, and I still had no clue where he was. My eighteenth birth day had come, and I still foolishly hoped he would show up at the party, but he was nowhere to be found. I didn't get so much as a phone call.

I barely remember the party, but the night was ingrained into my mind. I performed and looked pretty, but left after an hour. No one noticed, Sadie had already snuck off with Kwest—they'd been dating for a few months.

I drove home, the radio silent, losing myself in my thoughts. I walked inside, and headed straight to my newfound altar. I turned the key, opened the doors and slowly withdrew the vodka from the shelf. I grabbed a tumbler off of the counter, and watched as the clear liquid filled the empty glass.

Almost religiously, I brought the cup to my mouth, flinching at first at the burning sensation, but gradually becoming numb to it as the drink dissappeard.

I refilled my glass, grabbed the bottle, and walked up the stairs to my room. Slowly shedding my clothes as I walked towards my bed, I set the alcohol down on my nightstand, knocking over a picture frame as I fell down onto the bed.

Grasping the cool glass in my hand I took another sip, before righting the picture. Looking at it, a picture of Tommy and me at the docks, I felt a pang of grief run through my heart. It hurt that he hadn't even called.

Grabbing my cell phone, I punched in his number, drinking more as I lifted the phone to my ear.

"We're sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service. Please hang up and try again."  
Shocked, I slammed the phone shut, staring at it as if it were a snake that bit me.

I slowly opened it, taking a large gulp from my glass before dialing the numbers again.

"We're sorry, the pho-"

I hurled the phone at the wall, watching as it shattered. I put the glass to my lips, and tilted upwards again, but had no luck.

Dropping the useless thing on the floor, I reached for the half empty bottle, touching it to my lips and taking a large swig. Intent on finishing every last drop, I finally came to a harsh realization.

He was gone.

He was really gone.


	7. Chapter 7

It had been six weeks since my eighteenth birthday. Some new producer came in to take Tommy's place, and was apparently working wonders on Patsy—her album release party was taking place tonight.

I stared into the mirror, studying the hollow-cheeked blonde waif standing before me. I had become a shadow of my former self as the days passed. I lost interest in food, music, friends, everything.

Kwest and Sadie told me over and over that Darius was ready to release me, and begged me to come to the studio. So I went for an hour or two every few days, churning out horrible songs to appease them all.

I needed a change, something to show that I was different now. That I wasn't the same Jude as before.

Grabbing the box in front of me, I let my wet hair fall down my back as I pulled the towel off my head. Pulling out the necessary tools, I snapped the gloves on my hands, and began running the dye through my hair.

I waited a few minutes, busying myself by shaving my legs, and laying out my outfit as I waited for the color to set.

Turning the water back on, I stepped in the shower, watching as the almost black dye ran down my body, pooling on the tile floor, before slipping away down the drain.

I wrapped a towel around my body, pulling out a blow dryer before aiming it at my hair. Relaxing as the heat wrapped itself around me, I reached for the vodka tonic sitting on the counter next to me, taking a small sip.

Finally, I shook my hair out, looking in the mirror at my new chestnut locks. I brushed the curls away from my face, swiping eye shadow across my lids, followed by black liner, and a coat of mascara.

To finish the look, I painted my nails a black shade of red, sitting on the counter, sipping my drink carefully as I waited for them to dry.

Soon, I was pulling on my dress for the night—truly the definition of 'Little Black Dress'. I shoved my feet into a pair of four inch black leather pumps, finishing off my drink as I went.

Running a burgundy lipstick across my lips, I quickly capped the tube, tossing it in my black satin clutch with my cell phone, and a small flask. Grabbing my keys, I headed for my car and speed off to the party.


	8. Chapter 8

The 6 ounces of vodka in the flask were gone within ten minutes of arriving at the party.

The only thing to drink was champagne, so I grabbed two flutes as a tray passed by, downing them in seconds. There was no way I was going to get through this night without being trashed.

I quickly gulped down the golden liquid as I saw Darius walking my way, plastering on a fake smile.

"Hey D! How are you?" I said cheerfully. Then realized I needed to tone it down or else he would catch on. I grabbed a piece of gum and popped it into my mouth to cover the harsh scent of alcohol on my breath.

Looking at me curiously, he nodded, and patted me on the shoulder as he walked by, "Good to see you in such a good mood, Jude. Maybe tomorrow we'll actually get some writing done on that album—you're running out of time!"

He laughed as he passed me, and I joined in with my own hollow cackling until he was gone.

"Asshole," I muttered under my breath, grabbing two more glasses before stumbling off towards studio C. I just wanted to be alone; all of the perky PR reps, journalists, and sleazy record execs asking me about my non-existent album were making me want to puke.

As I threw the door open, I stopped dead in my tracks, completely unprepared for what lay before me. Groaning, I closed my eyes briefly, and then raised them to the ceiling to avoid looking at the tangled limbs on the soundboard in front of me.

"Wha-Oh! J-Jude!" Jamie stuttered, sounding flustered, "We were…umm…we were…we-"

"We were fucking," Patsy cut in dryly.

"Yeah, I can uh, see that," I said eyes looking everywhere but at the pair in front of me.

I motioned at the door, trying not to laugh as I exited the room, "I'll just be going."

As I closed the door, I popped my head in, giggling drunkenly as two heads popped up, looking quite annoyed.

"Remember James…no glove no love!"

Ducking to avoid an empty condom wrapper being thrown at my face, I slammed the door shut and stumbled back to the party, running into another disheveled pair as I passed Kwest's office.

"Oh! Jude!" Sadie said, patting her hair in an effort to fix it, "We were just-"

"Doing some 'producing' Sades?" I said, rolling my eyes, "You might want to fix your lipstick before you head back out there."

As Sadie reached into her purse for a mirror and lip gloss, I turned to Kwest, laughing at the bashful look on his face.

"Sorry," he said, blushing a bit, "I thought everyone was out at the party."

"It's okay—not any worse than anything I just saw," I said, shuddering at the memory of Jamie's pasty back.

Sadie finished applying her lip gloss and chimed in, "What do you mean?"

Trying to think of a way to put it delicately, I eventually gave up.

"Let's just say the soundboard in studio C is getting a little workout…and so are Jamie and Patsy," I said, laughing at the horrified expressions on Sadie and Kwest's faces.

Groaning, Kwest grabbed our arms, steering us toward the party, "Remind me never to work in studio C again. I need a drink to get that image out of my mind."

As we broke into the party room, I grabbed two more flutes of champagne, downing them quickly while standing next to the waiter, and exchanging them for another two.

By this time, I was flying high, and was amazed that I hadn't fallen over yet, or worse, been caught by Darius.

Shit, spoke too soon, I thought as I saw him stalking towards me out of the corner of my eye.

"Jude, Patsy is supposed to be on," He barked, looking anxiously around the room, his eyes narrowing into his trademark angry scowl, "You seen her?"

"She's currently, um, indisposed at the moment," I giggled drunkenly, covering my mouth with my hand to shield my champagne scented breath from him.

Annoyed, Darius snapped his head back in my direction to stare at me with disbelief. He quickly got over that, and began yelling loudly in my face, "So you think that's funny, Jude? Well, you know what's even funnier? You're getting up there to cover for Patsy the way she covered for you that night you went off and had a grand old time. And you better not disappoint me."

Shocked into speechlessness, I watched his retreating back, flashing back to that night, to the pain I felt, thinking of all the ramifications those drinks had had on my life.

It was all Tommy's fault. If he hadn't left, everything would be great. I'd be releasing my album, now, and well on my way to a few Grammy nods.

Sucking in a deep breath, I stumbled drunkenly towards the stage, grabbing the mic in my hands, motioning for Speed and the rest of SME to get their instruments.

"Let's do the new one, guys," I hissed at them, silencing the mic with my hands, "Catch My Fall."

Ready for some revenge, and a little drunken venting, I lifted the mic to my lips, waiting for Kyle to cue us all. As soon as I heard him finish, I let loose with a scream, and felt every eye in the room turn towards me.

Angrily I began to sing, stalking around the stage, drunkenly slurring the words into each other.

_  
I wonder why it always feels like rain  
My life is like some cheap champagne  
The answers don't always seem to fit  
My glass is full but it tastes like shit_

I need a quick decision  
And a cheap reward  
I'm in my last revision  
Hey hey hey hey

So I'll cry  
Just a little bit longer  
And I'll stay  
Two seconds more  
And I'll try  
To be stronger  
And I'll see if   
You catch my fall

I can't say if what I did was wrong  
Still you followed me like a sing-a-long  
I can't tell if what I did was right  
But you let me go like your sister's kite

I need a quick decision  
And a cheap reward  
I'm in my last revision  
Hey hey hey hey

So I'll cry  
Just a little bit longer  
And I'll stay  
Two seconds more  
And I'll try  
To be stronger  
And I'll see if  
You catch my fall

Yeah yeah yeah  
Yeah yeah yeah  
Yeah yeah yeah

I made my last decision  
And got some cheap reward  
I need no man's permission

So I'll cry  
Just a little bit longer  
And I'll stay  
Two seconds more  
And I'll try  
To be stronger  
And I'll see if  
You catch my fall

If you catch my fall  
If you catch my fall  
If you catch my fall  
If you catch my fall  


As the music faded out, I watched the shocked crowd stare back at me, their eyes telling me that they had no clue whether to clap or ignore me. A few pity-filled cheers and claps rang out from the silence, from Kwest, Sadie, Jamie, and Patsy, who were gathered near the side of the stage.

Breaking the stunned silence, I lifted the mic to my lips, letting the words I'd held inside so long spill from my lips out into the deafening air.

"That bad, huh?" I asked sarcastically, snorting in disbelief. "That's why I'm here at Patsy's record release party instead of mine. That's why I'm performing a shitty sad assed song, instead of my latest number one single."

I surveyed the crowd, feeling their eyes following me as I paced the stage, pushing forward in my anger.

"You know why I'm here?" I spat out, my eyes flashing, daring someone to try to answer. "I'm here because that fucking bastard Tom Quincy. He left me. He fucking left me without an explanation, without a phone call. He left me to get drunk, and have those pictures taken. It's his fucking fault I became Canada's latest sex scandal—your own Paris Hilton."

I paused for a moment gathering my breath, watching Darius and Liam, seeing them process what was going on. Knowing they'd stop me soon, the rest of the words spilled out, as they started towards the stage.

"Tom Quincy is the reason I'm a fucking drunk at the age of 18. And you know who's really responsible for all of this?" I said, rage filling me, my voice inching higher, "G-fucking-major. If I'd never won that goddamn contest I never would have met Tom Quincy. My life never would have been this shitty."

Seeing Darius closing in on me, I quickly spat out the last few words, my voice filled with venom, "I wish I'd never been your fucking Instant Star."

Throwing the mic down with a thud after I finished, I turned to Darius, meeting him head on.

"I don't want to work here any more," I said, still screaming, the party goers still hearing every word from my mouth.

"That's not necessary Jude. Because you're no longer signed to G-major." Darius said simply, grabbing my arm and yanking me off stage toward the exit, "Leave this building now, or I'll sue you for trespassing."

Shaking him off of me, I blew through the doors, grabbing my keys from my purse, trying to shove them into the keyhole on my mustang.

"Jude!"

I turned around as I finally got the door unlocked, and as I opened the door and began to get in, I saw Sadie sprinting toward me across the parking lot, Kwest running behind her, Jamie and Patsy trailing after.

"Jude," she screamed again, "You can't drive—you're going to get hurt!"

Ignoring her, I slammed the door shut, revved the engine and peeled out of the parking lot, seeing Sadie still running behind me in my rearview mirror.

Heading toward home, I turned my eyes from my mirrors to the road in front of me, trying to keep control of my car as everything spun around me.

Suddenly, I saw a flash of lights in the mirror, and a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air behind me. Slamming on the breaks, I jumped out of my car, sprinting back towards the parking lot, not believing the scene that lay before me.


End file.
